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Cycle Rider's in Orlando FL cleaned my carburetors. That was the last time they serviced Vera. When I picked up Vera I noticed High Temp silicon oozing out of the intake manifold to Cylinder head mating surfaces. What is this I asked? "Oh, they were leaking. You should really check for leaks." Right! And Cycle Riders should buy the o-rings when re-installing the intake manifolds. And not take the cheap way out. Or better yet, they should not pull the manifolds to remove the carbs, they should get off their arse and slide the airbox back. Grrr

That is the biggest problem with Central Florida Dealers. They are too short on care and too long on revenue. This is why we should have knowledge of what the dealer is going to do and then ask the dealer if they have the parts in stock. Otherwise, they use whatever, "gets'er done".

Hey Moe,
Man, it's a shame that a business can get away with this. So much for letting the "Professionals" work on your bike. If it were me I would never go back there for anything.

Hi Tony,

Scary isn't it? If ever Vera needs work I don't feel comfortable handling, Bob at the Triump dealership in West Palm Beach will get the work. Never again to Cycle Riders or The House of Power!

Here is a pic of Vera all back together. New 0-rings on the manifolds, Jim's spacers installed, throttle cables re-routed and everything cleaned up.

Have you thought of sending a note off to Triumph. They should really know how their dealers are taking care of the product that they produce. It doesn't look good on Triumph if their dealers give them a bad name. I'm glad you got her all cleaned up.

I agree with you on this.That is just plain lazy!!!No excuse for that kind of work from a dealer.Makes me pissed and it isn`t even my bike!Thanks for the heads up,everyone in your neck of the woods should stay clear of them!Just think if they worked on something internal that you couldn`t see what they might do!!!!!!

you should get reimbursed for whatever they charged you, since you had to do the work correctly. send tri usa a letter.

i wd. think they have orings for their bikes in stock. new orings for that job should be standard. they obviously weren't going to tell you, which wd. really make me mad.

boy,

cat

moe,

Man I feel for you, that kind of service should be reported to Triumph USA along with a request for a refund. You have the pix, it should make them question that dealer and rescind their franchise.
Grump...

Moe, sadly dealers don't expect to deal with people who actually can wrench their own bikes or know enough to argue with them. Knowing you, the service manager got a good ( well deserved ) reaming. I wouldn't let Vera play with them ever again or Lynn for that matter..... Gordon

Hi Trumpy72

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...Just think if they worked on something internal that you couldn`t see what they might do!!!!!!

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Tell me about it! In April of 2003 Cycle Riders adjusted my valves. Boy oh boy. Search the archives for my rants on that one. Cycle Riders, among other things, failed to pretension the intake camshaft's backlash gear, had 5 of eight valves adjusted wrong, gave me Vera back with twisted throttle cables and failed to change out the air filter. Grrrr.

Grump & John,

Grump

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moe,
Man I feel for you, that kind of service should be reported to Triumph USA along with a request for a refund. You have the pix, it should make them question that dealer and rescind their franchise.
Grump...

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John

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Have you thought of sending a note off to Triumph.

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I did write a letter to Cycle Riders. I copied Triumph with a cover letter too. Please note that this particular example happened back in Sep of 03. I only got around to fixing it this past Sat/Sun. Riding always got in the way.

And to top it off, the reason Cycle Riders did this was because I had rust in my gas tank, a tank that Triumph replaced under warranty. But do you think Triumph was going to pay the dealer to clean my carbs? NO! Triumph said that dirty carbs are the result of time, not inherently flawed fuel tanks! Cycle Riders did me the 'favor' of only charging me two hours labor. Heck, I told their service department manager Ryan that I would buy a compressor for three hours labor and do it myself! A big favor they gave me huh? So you see that Triumph was absurd in there denial of warranty work for carb cleaning that was needed directly due to their warranty recognition of the inherently dirty fuel tank. Guys, after a while my head hurts from that wall that keeps jumping out in front of it! So to heck with them and to heck with dealers in general. My hands on Vera. My care, my touch.

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September 16, 2003

Cycle Riders of Orlando
3450 W. Colonial Dr.
Orlando, FL 32808

Dear Sir or Madame:

I am writing this letter to convey my dissatisfaction with a valve adjustment that was performed October 9, 2002 on my 2002 Bonneville America. I have discussed this matter with your service manager on September 9, 2003. Since then more facts have come to light regarding the lack of care that was self-evident regarding your valve job, facts that I have documented and need to be brought to your attention. Namely the fact that the intake camshaft’s backlash gear had been installed without the backlash gear being pre-tensioned. I trust that this letter will express my concerns and grievances in a professional manner and that you will not see fit to write me off as just another unjustly dissatisfied customer...

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September 16, 2003
Triumph Motorcycles America Ltd
385 Walt Sanders Memorial Drive, Suite 100
Newnan GA 30265

Dear Sir or Madame:

Triumph is manufacturing fine products and I am personally impressed with the recovery Triumph has experienced under the control of Mr. Bloor. I am concerned that the dealer network in my area of Florida will undercut all the positive things Triumph is doing on the supply side...

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Do ya think I got a reply from either of them? Heck, I don't even get recall notices! I may send an e-mail to Triumph now that I have pics of the shoddy work re the manifolds, but as I feel like it all boils down to them not giving a darn, why would I bother? I'll wrench and they can rip off other people. I only hope that fellow members will now be more informed of Cycle Rider's of Orlando, FL.

Moe, Really sorry to hear we still don't have decent dealers here. Have had my troubles with both Cycle Riders, and HOP. 2 weeks ago, the starter relay on the TT600 went out, and sent my son down to HOP to get a new one, old part in hand. The 'kid' at the parts desk told him that it wasn't sold separately, and would have to purchase with the starter, to the tune of ~$350.00. I called Bob down at Palm Beach Triumph, and told him this, so he hooked me up with Richard to confirm that the part was only $43.00, and could have it in a few days. With that info, I called HOP back to speak with the owner, and got a bit of run-around til I relayed the story and my disappointment. The owner called me back within a few minutes and heard my story, and got to the bottom of the problem, had the parts mgr call me. Their clerk didn't know how to look up the part, and didn't ask for help about it. The owner then called me back again to make sure I was satisfied, and was promising to do anything to get me back as a customer, especially after I compared his staff and service to high standard of Palm Beach Triumph. Still not sure if I will return to HOP, but there is a glimmer of hope there. Maybe I'll take it in for the starter cable recall, and see how it comes back. I'll let you know.

later, Tom.

Moe,

I haven't had either of the recalls performed on my bike, mainly due to my lack of confidence in any of the local central FL dealers. I just don't want the dealer creating a problem on a bike that currently doesn't have any.

The main problem with all three central FL Triumph dealers is that they are more into selling all the Jap bikes, Triumph is just a after thought.

For warranty work I will probably go to Palm Bay, everything else I will do or if needed I will take it to Joes Garage.

Tom

The more stories I hear like this about Triumph America, coupled with the POS my TBA has turned out to be, the sicker I get!

Sorry Tom, but I have to disagree...

You know that wagon you used to pull as a kid. Did you pay any attention to the wheels that didn't squeak? Didn't think so.

Kinda' like here. The only thing you are going to hear is bad stuff with a smidgen of good thrown in. Most people pay attention to the squeaky wheel and don't bother to say 'My, those other wheels are working great!'.

Sorry you think you have a bad Triumph but the vast majority of us don't have many problems and many of us have NO problems.

I hope it works out for you as this is one of the best bikes ever....

Tom,

I agree with Phil. Get on Triumph's butt to straighten this out because once you've gotten it working properly you'll love this ride as much as we do.

Sorry Moe. It's a good thing you know your bike and about maitaining it. Seems like it is hard to find a good dealer.

-PS

I know it's a great bike. Believe me I researched and talked to every person on earth about this before I bought it. I got a bad one. It happens. Honestly I wasn't even concerned about it until I realized that no one at the dealership seemed to be bothered that they sold a bike that didn't run. Let's not forget, the only trouble free ride I've had was home from the dealer. It broke down the third day I had it, and every time I've ridden since.

Mercedes can make a bad car, BMW, Harley, Suzuki and the lot can all have a bad egg every now and again. I'm just sorely disappointed at the lack of urgency and initiative on the part of the dealer. I've put word into Triumph Corp this week.

More so, the dealer called me today and said that they couldn't replicate the problem. I asked if they had ridden it at all. They said no. They let it idle to warm up, and it didn't stall. I had told them earlier that they had to run it for about 30-40 miles, shut it off and let it sit for a few minutes then re-start, ride, and it will stall out. But I told them again and they're going to try ride it tomorrow. Then said they'd open up the carbs and see if there is an issue there.

Don't mis-understand. There is no bike in the world I want, or love, more than my TBA. But it's the service that I'm really disappointed with. Hopefully I'll know something in a week or two.

Tom,

Man, I feel for you too. These bikes can make a shade tree mechanic like me scratch my head, but they aren't rocket science!! Yes, sometimes a problem can be intermittent and tough to find, but as a dealer, they should be well-versed in how to approach that situation - it's either spark or fuel! Waiting for weeks to resolve the problem is unnacceptable in my opinion. I don't blame you a bit for being so upset... these people sound like real flakes.

Just wanted to add my 2 cents worth. R&R cycles in Temple Hills, MD is one of the shoddy - shakey dealers. In March of 2003 I tore my bike apart and sent about 120 pieces to Pauls Chroming to be chromed. Their work is top notch! While the bike was torn apart I decided to have the hubs chromed and twisted spokes installed. 2 years later I still don't have the wheels.!! I have a law suit pending suing for my original lost spoked wheels and the replacements I had to buy in order to ride the bike after it was completed and sat for almost 6 months. Anyway. A sherriff delivered the court papers to the guy at R&R a few weeks ago and low and behold my "lost" wheels have suddenly been found.I'm interested in hurting this guys wallet as bad as he hurt mine. The guy that owns the place is a likeable guy but do not send any work to R&R.
Deer Park cycles deals in vintage British and this guys is great!!
A lot of people here know my saga with the wheels and they have finally appeared. March will be 2 years they have been missing. My BA wasn'r even a year old when I tore it down to chrome it.

TBANGA,

I haven't totally kept up on your situation and haven't seen all the posts but does your state have a lemon law? If it does, does it apply to motorcycles?

Tom,
Glad to see you understand that maure occurs sometimes. When I used to work for Sony I was a field engineer and people woulf flip out when their brand new very expensive equipment failed and they would ususlly calm down when i explained that even Rolls Royce has a service department, and for a reason.
They'll get it straight for you, eventually. Good luck with it.

I am with you Moe. I too had a bad experience at Cycle Rider's. The service manager there is a schmuck, and I think that they screwed me on my ignition switch replacement, but I couldn't prove it.

I tried to get help from Triumph USA, and their CSR was a little on the weak side. I had to contact them for a follow-up and not the other way around.

The worst thing about owning what we own is our dealer experiences in Central Florida. They have no parts in stock and are generally out for themselves and not for their clients.

I may pay you to help me in the future!

Ryan

Hey guys, let me clarify something. My situation shouldn't really be in this category. I've certainly had problems with my ride and I made a comment based on another post that freaked me out that my problem might never be resolved. But my dealer has not done anything that could have caused any of these problems. In fact, they brought my bike in from another dealer where it was assembled. My bike's problems started right after I bought it. My disappointment has been with Triumph in general. Am I happy about my situation? Hell no! Do I wish they would have replaced the bike immediately? You bet. I've had a bike for months that has stranded me every time I've ridden it. But to be absolutely clear, MotoBritalia is not the cause of any of the problems. As far as I know they do excellent work and I have no problem sending anyone to them for service. So please don't think that I'm saying anything bad about their service department or technicians.

Now in regards to the lemon law. Yes, GA has one and it does apply to motorcycles. The problem that I have is that it seems to be an intermitent problem that has not been able to be duplicated by a service dept. I spoke with Triumph USA the other day and they maintain that if the problem cannot be replicated their hands are tied. If they are not able to diagnose the problem soon, when I get it back I'll have to ride it around during business hours and hope that it breaks down and I can get it to a dealer. Given the bike's history, I'm not worried. With that hopefully the problem will be found. If not I'll take further steps with my attorney with Triumph about the Lemon law. Because they can't replicate the problem it could be tricky, which is why I will involve my attorney. After all, all I'm asking for is a bike that will run! Nothing else.

Worse case, I'll trade the bike in for a Yamaha or Suzuki, or if a bonus comes through, just go back to Harley.

Hi Ryan,

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I may pay you to help me in the future!

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Like in paying Lynn and I a visit?! Anytime you would like a hand let me know. And stop with this pay talk! Lynn & I are riding today. Got me 'Honey do' chandelier up after re-wiring a three way switched outlet to control and feed the chandelier. Had to lay off the brews for that one.

Moe,

Maybe we should have a central FL riders work shop. We meet at someones house some Saturday morning. Talk about each riders bike and any problems it might have. Adjust or fix if possible and then take a nice ride around the country side. If all we do is help one rider and his bike it would be worth the time. Plus we will all gain some experience and learn something from each other.

Tom

Tom, Sounds like a plan.

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Maybe we should have a central FL riders work shop. We meet at someones house some Saturday morning. Talk about each riders bike and any problems it might have...

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Maybe pick a place to ride to once a month. An overswamp meeting with the members living in Latin America. (South Fl)

You back in town? I have that bolt on my workbench for ya.

From here to you guys is about 180 miles. Ft. Pierce is about halfway.

Do we have anyone here from Ft. Pierce?

Moe,

I don't get back until Friday.

I haven't been to Ft Pierce, sounds like a rode trip.

Tom